Latest news with #LEAN
Business Wire
a day ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Adlana Buck Joins X-Caliber Capital as FHA Chief Underwriter
IRVINGTON, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--X-Caliber Capital, an FHA-approved Multifamily Accelerated Processing (MAP) lender and loan servicer, today announced Adlana Buck has joined the firm as FHA Chief Underwriter. Buck brings nearly 25 years of experience in multifamily and HUD-insured lending. Over the past decade, she has overseen or directly underwritten nearly $2 billion in FHA transactions spanning affordable, market-rate, and healthcare asset classes. X-Caliber Appoints Adlana Buck to FHA Chief Underwriter. Share Buck previously served as the FHA Chief Underwriter for Capital One where she led complex, high-dollar transactions nationwide and managed underwriting operations across the firm's FHA platform. Over the past five years, Buck participated in more than a hundred successful HUD transactions, including over $334 million in affordable housing transactions and more than $560 million in healthcare financings. As the FHA Chief Underwriter for X-Caliber, Buck will lead the underwriting for all MAP and LEAN executions, overseeing credit strategy, transaction structuring, and lender compliance for the firm's FHA multifamily and healthcare lending platforms. 'Adlana brings a wealth of experience and a strong track record in FHA multifamily finance,' said Chris Callahan, President and CEO of X-Caliber. 'Her expertise aligns well with our strategic vision, and we're confident she'll play a key role in enhancing the value we deliver to our clients as we continue to grow our platform.' Buck will report to Amber Howard, Chief Operating Officer. She is an active member of the Mortgage Bankers Association's Multifamily Council and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Committee. About X-Caliber Capital Holdings LLC ('X-Caliber') – X-Caliber Capital Holdings is a nationally recognized commercial real estate finance franchise whose affiliate companies provide direct mortgage lending, servicing, advisory, and investment opportunities. Our diverse and growing lending and investment entities support and leverage our expansive and innovative lending platforms that offer FHA, bridge, USDA, and C-PACE financing.
Business Journals
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Journals
South Florida ORBIE Leadership Award recipient: For World Fuel's Jeff Smith, innovation and a people-first culture are key to making an impact
Jeff Smith, who retired as chief operating officer of World Fuel Services at the end of 2023, has been named the recipient of the 2025 South Florida ORBIE Leadership Award. The honor recognizes a global career built on pioneering digital transformation and cultivating high-performing teams. Smith's leadership philosophy centers on a simple, yet powerful, idea: Talent and culture are the true differentiators of great companies. As COO of World Fuel Services, he turned that belief into action, cultivating efficiency and dexterity in how the company responded to challenges using LEAN principles and people-first decision-making. That operational precision was forged over more than 35 years of experience across continents and industries — from semiconductors to finance. Smith's career highlights, which he'll share during a keynote address at the South Florida ORBIE Awards celebration June 13 at The Diplomat Beach Resort, are a case study in iteration. At IBM, he led a global IT organization of 20,000 and spearheaded the company-wide Agile transformation. At Allied Signal/Honeywell, he launched a global SAP rollout across 17 countries, cutting projected timelines by more than half through an international team rooted in diversity of thought and unified by a shared goal. At Suncorp, following the economic downturn that started in 2008, he architected a transformation of the company's digital insurance self-service platform. His teams built it using the cloud, making the financial services provider one of the first to use cloud technology. In every challenge, Smith consistently applied what he learned early in his career at LSI Logic: that shared sacrifice, collective learning and scalable simplicity often outperform hierarchical command-and-control. 'My view is you should always give preference to the people doing the work over people leading the work,' he says. 'We're paid a premium to lead, so we should be homing in on creating a productive environment for them.' Smith breaks it down further: 'What does great mean? Is that small teams that are building great software? Does that mean great customer service? Does it mean that we can take a problem and break it up? I've spent my career kind of chasing that — the more you can make it clean and simple, the easier it is to scale.' His formula for high-performing teams prioritizes building diverse teams who are engaged by meaningful work. The work must be distributed at a sustainable pace, and finally, results must be continually measured and tracked. At IBM, he implemented a quarterly leadership review system that evaluated every leader on six tangible dimensions — team formation, work distribution, measurement, talent development, learning from others and influence. He also published Net Promoter Scores for leaders, asking direct reports whether they would recommend their manager or their squad to a peer. The transparency raised expectations and elevated performance across the organization. Smith's influence is still felt globally. He currently serves on the boards of ANZ Bank, PEXA and Sonrai Security. A native of Ohio and graduate of Miami University and San Jose State University, he's lived and led in the U.S., Australia and around the world. And while his accomplishments are many, what sets Smith apart is his ability to scale not just systems, but people. His advice to business leaders aspiring to be true community partners is to believe in the potential of people. He recalls a transformative insight from Steve Jobs, who once shared how Pixar hired musicians and artists to become software engineers because they had the grit and logic to succeed. 'We applied that in South Florida, too,' Smith says, 'creating career paths for people with nontraditional backgrounds. Don't look at it as a cost or as a contribution, that you're there to help people with money. You're there to help them find a great career and have a happy life. If you build the right environment, anyone can thrive.' Asked what makes a great leader, Smith advises not to get caught up in the noise of the company landscape. 'You want to create clarity of purpose, put together a good, productive environment, and inspire people to do great things. It's pretty simple.' From building software that transformed a global semiconductor industry, to reshaping IT at IBM, to coaching next-generation talent in Miami, Smith's legacy is one of clarity, compassion and continuous reinvention. The 2025 South Florida ORBIE Leadership Award celebrates not just a career, but a mindset — one that will continue to shape teams, cultures and companies for years to come.
Sky News AU
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Labor's Environmental Action Network pushes for 70 per cent emissions cut by 2035 as left faction grows
Labor's environmental activist wing has called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to adopt a 70 per cent emissions reduction target by 2035, following his decisive election outcome. The election delivered a boost to the Labor Left, which now outnumbers the Right in caucus and holds greater sway over internal decision-making. Meanwhile, Labor Environment Action Network (LEAN)—a network of ALP members and supporters— wants the government to set a stronger 2035 climate target. LEAN backed several Labor MPs and candidates during the 2025 campaign, including Josh Burns and Jerome Laxale. In return for its support, the lobby group has called on the Albanese government to pursue 70 per cent emissions reductions by 2035. The Labor Party's path to net zero so far has only set a target of 43 per cent by 2030. The push sparked backlash from Nationals Senator Matt Canavan, who told Sky News the government should hold a referendum on the net zero target by 2050. 'The Labor Party are talking about wanting a 70 per cent emissions reduction by just 2035,' Mr Canavan said. 'What is the point of this? How is that going to help people? If they go down that path, the Australian people deserve to have a referendum on net zero. 'A proper choice. No one ever has had a vote on net zero.' The Albanese government has not adopted any 2035 target and said it was waiting for the Climate Change Authority to deliver its formal advice on the matter. 'Well, we haven't made any decisions about that yet,' Labor Senator Murray Watt told Sky News. 'What we did well before the election was ask for advice from the independent Climate Change Authority on what the 2035 targets should be. 'They made a decision to delay finalising that because of the change in the world context.' The United States abandoned the net zero Paris Agreement in 2025 following the election of President Donald Trump. Asked whether Labor's strong election win gave it more room to pursue ambitious climate policy, Mr Watt tempered expectations. 'You would have heard the Prime Minister and others make very clear that we're absolutely determined to respect the mandate that we've been given,' he said. 'We're not going to get ahead of ourselves by leaping into decisions, whether it be on this topic or anything else.' Mr Albanese told reporters on Monday he would 'not get carried away' with his larger majority in the House of Representatives. The 48th Parliament of Australia has since been touted as the most progressive parliament in history according to the Australian Greens. Early election projections show the minor party set to hold the balance of power in the Senate and emerge as the only effective check on the resurgent Labor government. Labor legislated a 43 per cent cut to emissions by 2030 in its first term and set its target of 82 per cent renewables in the grid by the same year. Energy experts have since warned that target is under threat due to slow infrastructure rollout and resistance to transmission lines and wind projects. The next formal update to Australia's climate targets under the Paris Agreement is due in 2025.
Sky News AU
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Albanese government faces growing pressure within Labor over 2035 climate target
Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt has confirmed that the Albanese government is yet to make a decision on a proposed 2035 emissions reduction target, amid growing pressure from Labor's environmental faction to set more ambitious climate goals. Labor's left-wing environmental action group, known as LEAN (Labor Environment Action Network), is calling on the Albanese government to adopt a 70-plus per cent emissions reduction target for 2035. 'We haven't made any decisions about that yet,' Mr Watt told Sky News Australia. 'I mean, what we did well before the election was ask for advice from the independent Climate Change Authority. 'Once they do, we will listen to that advice, and we'll make a decision, but we haven't settled on anything at this point in time.'
Zawya
06-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Electra announces key leadership appointments to ridve operational excellence and transformation
Dubai, UAE – Electra, created in Dubai 33 years ago, is a leading provider of event production and manufacturing solutions in the Middle East. A Dubai-born business, Electra started with a team of just 15 and has grown into a powerhouse of 550 event experts across the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The company is proud to announce two significant leadership appointments that underscore its commitment to operational excellence, innovation, and sustainable growth. Willean Master Appointed as Chief Operating Officer Willean Master has been named Chief Operating Officer, following four transformative years leading Electra's operational optimization and growth initiatives. Under her leadership, Electra has solidified its position as a trusted production partner for government entities, global brands, and creative agencies across the region. Willean played a pivotal role in implementing a company-wide LEAN transformation, deploying Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP tailored to Electra's hybrid manufacturing and events model, and fast-tracking the rollout of Coupa to streamline procurement. She also championed the attainment of key sustainability certifications, including ICV, EcoVadis, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001, while embedding ethical procurement practices through CIPS certifications across teams. Her efforts culminated in the expansion of Electra's logistics and production footprint across the UAE and KSA to over 52,000 square meters (560,000 square feet), setting new benchmarks for the industry. Nicolas Nabot Named Transformation Officer As part of Electra's continued evolution, Nicolas Nabot has been promoted to the role of Transformation Officer. A former Electra leader, Nicolas returns to the company after overseeing infrastructure for the Paris 2024 Olympics. He brings a wealth of international experience to support Electra's cross-departmental transformation, with a focus on scaling research & development, systems, and processes to match the company's growing ambitions. Driving the Future of Operational Innovation Together, Willean's operational expertise and Nicolas's transformation vision position Electra for the next phase of sustainable, tech-enabled growth. Following several years of steady expansion, Electra is now more equipped than ever to support its clients' boldest ambitions across the region. As a proud UAE-born business, Electra exemplifies Made in the UAE excellence, with locally driven innovation and manufacturing capabilities now being exported to other markets. The company remains committed to supporting the national visions of the UAE, contributing to economic diversification and enabling the delivery of world-class events that elevate the region's global standing. Electra congratulates Willean and Nicolas on their new roles and looks forward to the continued success of its leadership team.
